District 1 race looks wide open

Revitalization in the inner city is at stake as May 14 vote nears.

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Candidates

Diego Bernal, 34, attorney

Lauro Bustamante, 60, attorney

Chris Forbrich, 28, IT business owner

Carolyn Kelley, 53, nonprofit consultant

Ralph Medina, 55, retired SAFD district chief

There's a widespread sense that any of the four strong contenders vying to succeed City Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros will breathe new life into the downtown District 1 seat, a position critical to the future of San Antonio's urban core.

Perennial candidate Lauro Bustamante also appears on the ballot. He notified the city he wouldn't raise or spend more than $500 on his campaign. He has appeared at only a few candidate forums.

It's clear that the District 1 seat will play an important role in the revitalization of the inner city — an issue that's reached fever pitch under Mayor Julián Castro, who during his long-range planning effort, SA2020, coined the term “decade of downtown” to describe the renaissance he expects in ensuing years.

Out on the campaign trail, voters tend to talk about different issues, things like potholes and flooding, stray dogs, graffiti and lacking code enforcement.

Conventional wisdom says the District 1 race won't be decided on May 14.

Most likely, neither of the top two candidates will garner more than 50 percent of the vote, forcing them into a runoff.

It's hard to say which two will make the cut.

In the nearly 35 years since San Antonio has had single-member districts, the majority-Hispanic District 1 has yet to elect an Anglo representative.

It's an obstacle both Forbrich and Kelley say they can overcome.

Kelley, 53, points to the work she's done in Tobin Hill and says that neighborhood's successes could be duplicated across the district.

When she moved there after a divorce, she says she found a neighborhood plagued by drugs, prostitution, blight and filth.

“I saw it as nothing but potential,” she said. “It had wonderful neighbors and a wonderful position in the city.”

She was instrumental in obtaining a historic designation for the neighborhood and later served on the city's Zoning Commission.

When Kelley introduces herself at candidate forums, one of the first things she says is that she spent eight years in Washington, D.C., as a lobbyist.

Given the public perception of that profession, it's a surprising leadoff statement for Kelley.

Kelley said she lobbied for a nonprofit organization, so giving campaign contributions wasn't part of what she did.

“It's pretty hard to get things done in Washington without giving money to anyone, so I'm very proud of what I did there,” she said.Kelley has been campaigning for the better part of a year and was the leading fundraiser when semi-annual campaign finance reports came out in January.

The most recent round of reports, however, showed that she'd fallen behind Medina and Bernal.

She said she raised funds early so that she could spend more time campaigning closer to Election Day.

Forbrich, who shares a similar sentiment, trails significantly in the fundraising effort — both in the amount he raised between Jan. 1 and April 4, and in the cash left in his campaign war chest.

“At this point, it's not going to make a difference,” he said. “It's too late.”

A gay activist, Forbrich found himself dissatisfied with Cisneros and decided to run against her two years ago. After several unreturned telephone calls and letters, Forbrich decided he could represent the area better and began campaigning. He really hasn't stopped since.

Where other candidates in the race talk about the need for improved education — a priority in Castro's first term as mayor — and other issues that transcend municipal government, Forbrich, 28, focuses on basic tangible concerns: increased jobs, better transportation, crime and senior issues.

“Where we get lost right now is talking about education,” he said. “Don't get me wrong — education is an important topic to me, but I think many of my opponents mean to be running for the school board, not the City Council.”

In the race two years ago, Forbrich gained a lot of ground taking direct aim at Cisneros, who faced negative sentiment in the community. It's unclear how his sometimes-negative approach will play out in a race for an open seat.

Unlike other candidates, Forbrich doesn't shy away from publicly taking a swing at an opponent.

He seized on Medina's admission during a San Antonio Express-News editorial board meeting that he'd been arrested on a marijuana charge.

“I think when the voters look at that, it's hard to say you can make the law when you're so busy breaking it,” Forbrich said. “Irregardless, it tells you the content of his character.”

Medina said in an interview that he was arrested in the early 1980s in New Braunfels, took the case to a jury trial and was found to be innocent.

“I was guilty of nothing except being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. “They cleared my name.”

Medina, 55, had a long career with the San Antonio Fire Department, climbing the ranks from firefighter to district chief, a position he held until retiring in January.

He briefly served on the city's Zoning Commission last summer before stepping down to begin his campaign. Though he said he hears a lot from voters about stray dogs, and issues with streets, curbs and sidewalks, he said the single largest issue plaguing the district is what's not there.

“The biggest thing we face in District 1 is getting people to move back into the district,” Medina said. “We have a lot of people who have moved out over the last decade.”

One of the district residents who left — and has since returned — is Bernal, an early underdog who's come on strong late in the race. A civil rights attorney, Bernal brings a perspective of advocacy to the campaign.

He says he wants to give a voice to people who feel like they've been forgotten by government.

“I felt like (District 1) needed an advocate, and I could do it,” he said.

With deep roots in the local art community, Bernal compared his campaign to the rise of an unknown movie.

“I always tell people, ‘Consider us an independent film.' There are some heavy-hitter opponents,” said Bernal, 34. “They're ‘Avatar,' and we're ‘The Hurt Locker.' It's the word of mouth that's going to get us the Oscar.”